CLARION –In the near future, the Wright County Board of Supervisors will welcome at least two new members as the board expands from three districts to five.

On Monday, the Wright County Board of Supervisors approved a plan proposed by the Temporary Redistricting Committee and sent the plan on to the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office for final approval.

The process to expand the number of supervisor districts began last fall after some residents submitted a petition, according to Jeremy Abbas, assistant to the Wright County Engineer and the chairman of the Temporary Redistricting Committee.

Minutes of the Sept. 6, 2022, Board of Supervisors meeting show that the three-member board unanimously approved a resolution calling for a public measure to be placed on the November 2022 general election ballot asking the electorate if the board should be expanded from three to five members. Two months later, in the November election, the measure passed 2,818-1,220.

In January, the board of supervisors appointed Abbas, as well as Sara Middleton and Shannon Walker to the Temporary Redistricting Commission to plan for the changes.

The commission’s job was to draw the map of the new districts and ensure it aligned with state laws and regulations set forth by the Secretary of State’s office. Part of that was taking the total population of the county — from the 2020 Census — and dividing it by five to find the “ideal” population for a district.

That ideal population, Abbas said, is 2,589, and each district’s population can deviate from that by plus or minus 26.

The plan approved on Monday has the following district divisions:

• District 1: 2,599

• District 2: 2,569

• District 3: 2,614

• District 4: 2,569

• District 5: 2,592

District 1 starts at the western border of the county and runs east to Goldfield. At the northern border of the district is 150th Street and the southern border is uneven and near Eagle Grove.

District 2 is the southwest quarter of the county, with a large “bite” taken out by District 1 and a small piece taken out by District 5 near Clarion.

District 3 takes up most of the northern half of the county, running from the western border to the east to U.S. Highway 69. Like District 2, District 3 has a “bite” taken out by District 1.

District 4 is much smaller in land size, covering the northeast corner of the county bordered by U.S. Highway 69 and 170th Street.

District 5 covers the southeast quarter of the county, with a section between U.S. Highway 69 and the eastern border of the county that runs up to 170th Street.

The redistricting plan was the fourth iteration by the commission, Abbas said. The commission developed multiple plans and then voted on which to recommend to the Board of Supervisors, which ultimately decides which plan to send to the Secretary of State’s office.

A public hearing was held on the redistricting plan prior to its approval by the board.

If approved by the Secretary of State’s office, the redistricting plan would go into effect with the next election after January 2024, Abbas said. If the state rejects the plan, the commission will reconvene and start the process all over again until a plan is approved by the state.